About the Role
The Application Lead is responsible for the strategy, delivery, and ongoing management of business applications at UrbanWrk. This is a leadership role that sits at the intersection of technology and business, you will ensure our application landscape is scalable, secure, well-integrated, and tightly aligned with organisational objectives. You will work closely with business stakeholders across functions, translate their requirements into robust technical solutions, manage third-party vendors, and drive continuous improvement across the full application lifecycle. If you are someone who takes ownership of systems the way others take ownership of outcomes, this role is for you.
Objective
- Own the application strategy, roadmap, and delivery for all business-critical systems at UrbanWrk.
- Serve as the bridge between business needs and technology solutions ensuring every application decision serves a clear operational or commercial purpose.
- Drive continuous improvement, rationalisation, and modernisation across the application landscape.
Key Responsibilities
1. Application Strategy & Architecture
- Define and execute the application roadmap in alignment with business and IT strategy.
- Ensure application architecture adheres to enterprise standards with a focus on security, scalability, and maintainability.
- Evaluate and recommend new applications, platform upgrades, and cloud or SaaS solutions suited to UrbanWrk's operating model.
- Lead application rationalisation and modernisation initiatives — retiring redundant tools and consolidating where possible.
2. Application Lifecycle Management
- Own end-to-end application lifecycle management across design, development, testing, deployment, and ongoing support.
- Oversee application enhancements, integrations, and production support ensuring changes are delivered on time and without disruption.
- Manage SLAs, KPIs, and incident and problem management processes across all applications.
- Implement and govern application change management and release management processes.
3. Vendor & Stakeholder Management
- Manage third-party application vendors - holding them to contractual SLAs and driving accountability on delivery and support.
- Act as the primary point of escalation for vendor-related issues; conduct periodic vendor performance reviews.
- Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders like Finance, Operations, HR, Sales, and Leadership to understand requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
- Communicate application roadmap, project status, and risks clearly to business and IT leadership.
4. Security, Compliance & Governance
- Ensure all applications comply with security policies, regulatory requirements, and data privacy standards.
- Support internal and external audits and risk assessments related to applications.
- Implement application governance frameworks covering access controls, data handling, and change approval processes.
- Proactively identify and mitigate application-related risks before they escalate.
5. Automation & Continuous Improvement
- Identify and implement scripting and automation opportunities to reduce manual processes and improve operational efficiency.
- Track application performance metrics and user adoption; use data to drive prioritisation decisions.
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement — regularly reviewing the application stack for gaps, inefficiencies, and upgrade opportunities.
Qualifications & Experience
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field required.
- Relevant certifications (ITIL, PMP, cloud platforms, or application management) are advantageous.
Technical Experience
- 10–12 years of experience in application management, IT delivery, or a related technology leadership role.
- Hands-on experience managing ERP, CRM, Accounting applications, HRMS systems, ticketing tools, Contract Management systems, Procurement platforms, Project Management tools, and API integrations.
- Scripting or automation experience using PowerShell, Python, or similar tools.
- Proven end-to-end implementation experience — from requirements through go-live and post-production support.
- Familiarity with cloud and SaaS application ecosystems; experience with integration middleware or iPaaS platforms is a plus.
